INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS

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President Moon Jae-in, who is currently visiting Norway said at the Oslo Forum on the 12th, that the leaders of North Korea and the United States must meet before it's too late. Moon also urged the North Korean leader to meet with him prior to the upcoming Seoul-Washington summit, slated for late June.

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In his keynote speech delivered at the Oslo Forum in Norway, the South Korean president urged North Korea and the United states to resume negotiations as soon as possible. Moon's remarks are believed to reflect his concerns about the protracted stalemate in the denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "If it gets too protracted, it may dampen the enthusiasm. I urge Chairman Kim and President Trump to meet as soon as possible."

The South Korean leader also said he hopes to meet with the North Korean leader prior to the Seoul-Washington summit scheduled for late June. Moon reiterated that he wants to meet with Kim Jong-un first in a bid to narrow the differences between Pyongyang and Washington in terms of denuclearization. He urged the North Korean leader to make a decision as soon as possible.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON : "It is up to Chairman Kim whether the two of us will meet and when we will meet."

Regarding Kim Jong-un's recent letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Moon said that he had been informed about the letter in advance, and knows what it was about. This apparently means that even amid the stalled denuclearization talks, the momentum is still on and the South Korean government continues to fulfill its role. In his speech at the Oslo Forum, President Moon also vowed to achieve a kind of peace that will help improve the lives of the Korean public in a tangible way. Moon unveiled his view of peace on the Korean Peninsula for the first time since his Berlin speech delivered two years ago.